The (Friendly) Combined Fleet system was first introduced in the Summer Event of 2014 for the Battle of Midway. By using two fleets during a sortie, a total of up to 12 ships are involved as opposed to the usual 6. The Combined Fleet system has again been used in every subsequent events so far but with revised mechanics. This page will be updated to include the latest mechanics.

See this page for further info about abyssal combined fleet (after more information are gathered those information might be re-integrated into this page.)

Combined Fleet (Rengou Kantai (連合艦隊(れんごうかんたい),Rengou Kantai?)) (when available, i.e. events only as of now) can be formed by viewing the second fleet, and then dragging the "/2" icon over the "/1" icon (refer to picture on the right). The first fleet is the main fleet and is usually comprised of heavier ships, while the second fleet is an escort fleet, and is usually comprised of lighter ships.

In order to disband a combined fleet, either click on the "combined" icon, or make changes to either fleet so that they don't meet the requirements any more.

There are currently three different types of combined fleets available for use:

Each type of combined fleet has different composition requirements. In some cases, you will be given the option to choose between which combined fleet you want to make. In other cases, you will be told which fleet to create for the sortie. When choosing between the two different types of combined fleets, besides the fleet composition requirements, note that the combat order is different for each type (see Combat Phases).

The ordering of combat phases slightly differs between the types of combined fleets. Note that engagement order changes significantly when facing Abyssal Combined Fleets. For a full run through on what each phase does, please see Combat:Combat Stages.

Phase

Notes

Scouting

No different from normal.

Land Base Aerial Support

If available on that map.

Aerial Combat

Only ships in the main fleet can launch planes, but all ships can respond with AA and can be hit by enemy planes (applies only against single fleets).

Opening Engagement

If there is a support fleet (see Expedition:Support Expeditions), and its support conditions are met, it activates.Opening ASW by the escort fleet and enemy fleet.Opening torpedo salvo by only the escort fleet (e.g. CLT, SS) and enemy fleet.

Only ships in the main fleet can launch planes, but all ships can respond with AA and can be hit by enemy planes (applies only against single fleets).

Opening Engagement

If there is a support fleet (see Expedition:Support Expeditions), and its support conditions are met, it activates.Opening ASW by the escort fleet and enemy fleet.Opening torpedo salvo by only the escort fleet (e.g. CLT, SS) and enemy fleet.

Engagement Type

Engagement type is declared (e.g. Head-on, Parallel, T-Cross).

Main Fleet Engages

Main fleet begins its shelling round by range order, and then by line-up order. (Second round only if BBs or certain bosses are present on either side.)

Escort Fleet Engages

Escort fleet begins its shelling round by range order. (One round only regardless of whether BBs are present.)Escort fleet does a torpedo salvo exchange with the enemy fleet.

All ships in the whole fleet (Main + Escort) can launch planes, can respond with AA and can be hit by enemy planes.Both Main and Escort enemy fleets can be targeted by the airstrike.

Opening Engagement

If there is a support fleet (see Expedition:Support Expeditions), and its support conditions are met, it activates.Opening ASW by the escort fleets.Opening torpedo salvo by only the escort fleet (e.g. CLT, SS) and enemy fleet.

Engagement Type

Engagement type is declared (e.g. Head-on, Parallel, T-Cross).

Main Fleet Engages

Main Fleets engage each other, one round only. Firing order determined by range.

Escort Fleet Engages

Escort fleets engage each other, firing order by range. (One round only regardless of whether BBs are present.)Escort fleets do torpedo salvo exchanges that can hit both escort and main fleets.

Main Fleet Second Round

Main Fleet can target ships in either enemy fleet. Firing order done sequentially by lineup.

All ships in the whole fleet (Main + Escort) can launch planes, can respond with AA and can be hit by enemy planes.Both Main and Escort enemy fleets can be targeted by the airstrike.

Opening Engagement

If there is a support fleet (see Expedition:Support Expeditions), and its support conditions are met, it activates.Opening ASW by the escort fleets.Opening torpedo salvo by only the escort fleet (e.g. CLT, SS) and enemy fleet.

Engagement Type

Engagement type is declared (e.g. Head-on, Parallel, T-Cross).

Main Fleet Engages

Main Fleets engage each other. Firing order determined by range.

Main Fleet Second Round

Main Fleet can target ships in either enemy fleet. Firing order done sequentially by lineup.

Escort Fleet Engages

Escort fleets engage each other, firing order by range. (One round only regardless of whether BBs are present.)Escort fleets do torpedo salvo exchanges that can hit both escort and main fleets.

In contrast to normal sorties, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) damage is not reduced during night battle.

Only escort fleets are capable of opening ASW attacks.

The main fleet will not take part in anything related to torpedoes if the enemy is single fleet. If the enemy is abyssal combined fleet, the main fleet will still not fire torpedoes, but will receive torpedo damage.

Equipment on the main fleet will not affect night battle.

The shelling accuracy of all of the ships in combined fleet appears to be very low, probably to balance out the 12 vs 6 system. Accuracy penalties vary between the main and escort fleets for the different types of combined fleets.

For Carrier Task Force, the escort fleet shelling misses much more often compared to normal sorties and the main fleet shelling appears to have no penalty.

For Surface Task Force, the main fleet shelling misses much more often compared to normal sorties and the escort fleet shelling misses slightly more often.

Likewise, depending on the combined fleet type, the main and escort fleets have varying shelling evasion corrections.

For Carrier Task Force, the escort fleet has much higher evasion than the main fleet.

For Surface Task Force, the main fleet has higher evasion than the escort fleet.

If a fleet does no damage in a battle (e.g. main fleet takes out all of enemy before escort fleet can fire, or vice versa), then the MVP for that fleet defaults to the flagship.

When entering night battle, only damage dealt at night will be taken into account for MVP determination.

Thus, the main fleet flagship will receive MVP after a night battle.

The flagship of the escort fleet (a.k.a. second fleet) is currently unsinkable.

In the Spring 2015 event, it became impossible to make a submarine flagship, presumably to prevent exploitation of this mechanic.

You can't begin a sortie with the escort fleet flagship moderately damaged.

It's possible to have a ship of the same name in both main and escort fleets simultaneously. For example, during Fall 2016 Event E5, it was possible to sortie Sakawa and Prinz Eugen twice in both the main fleet and escort fleet, as they had special damage bonuses in the boss node. By (ab)using this rule, players had a higher chance in obtaining S ranks.

Slow battleships, such as the Yamato class, can be placed on the escort fleet provided that their Speed is raised up to Fast+ via turbine and boiler equipment.

As of the Winter 2017 Event Escort Fleet planes will participate in aerial battle only if it is combined fleet vs combined fleet.

The Fleet Command Facility (stock equipment of Ooyodo Kai) allows a destroyer in the second fleet of a combined fleet to escort a heavily damaged ship away from the sortie. This is useful if you tend to encounter just one ship going red on the pre-boss node.

Must be equipped on the flagship of the first (main) fleet and needs a non-flagship second fleet DD with more than 75% hp (any damage 小破 or higher is no good) for it to give the option to escort the ship.

The screen will show up after [Results], and before the [Continue/Retreat] screen. The heavily damaged ship and another DD will show up, with green sentences. Left button will remove the damaged ship and a DD from combat and they will both lose 25 morale (on top of 15 from returning from sortie) and all of their remaining fuel. Right button will continue without escorting.

If it is the first two images, it means your fleet got disbanded. Presumably because you have remodelled a ship (e.g. from CA to CAV) and have, therefore, broken the combined fleet rules necessary to create the combined fleet.